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31 July 2010

Currently I’m in the ABC Sydney recording studio making a
new recording of stunning baroque duets with mezzo Fiona Campbell, American
countertenor David Walker and the Ironwood Chamber Ensemble. The label is called Vexations
– a new venture with Lyle Chan, Ken Nielsen and myself.

I’m here listening to the take of the gorgeous death scene
from Cavalli’s L’Ormindo. You may
remember Fiona & David singing this in Pinchgut’s production of L’Ormindo last December. Sadly, ABC Classics was unable to
record L’Ormindo (and we hope
they will record this year’s L’anima del filosofo!), so it’s such a treat to hear Cavalli’s amazing
music and beautiful instrumentation, again. Other duets being recorded are by
Handel, Monteverdi andSteffani.
One Handel work – Caro Autor – and a Steffani - La Liberta Contenta – will be
world premiere recordings.

You will not have to wait to long until this new recording
is available- we want to get it
produced as soon as we can! More news in the coming Pinchgut newsletters.

23 July 2010

Last night’s Fundraiser was a
great success in every way. Erin Helyard did an incredible job with bringing
this little unknown opera by Vivaldi to full life and fun! Singers (and actors)
Anna Fraser, Jane Sheldon & Andrei Laptev were simply wonderful in the
roles of two nymphs and a shepherd, in a gorgeous, twisted change of love and
loss. Our wonderful Governor of New South Wales, Her Excellency Marie Bashir,
opened the evening with some lovely words and Guy Noble was just the perfect
MC. Her Excellency graciously agreed to draw the raffle at the end of the evening
(of course it would be inappropriate to call her the barrel girl) to great excitement with some great prizes.

I have been receiving lots of
praise all day, about the Pinchgut folk, location, food, vibe and above all, the
music - with such comments as:-

The music was incredible, to have a whole opera and so close.

It was so Australian, loved it.

Best ever fundraiser, it was just so warm and friendly.

it was just perfect and could
not be faulted in any way.

You guys are certainly living
up to your name as Sydney’ surprising opera company.

The fundraising team is made
up of some of the regular Pinchgut talent that- with the help of John, Alison, Andrew and myself – really
pulled the whole night off. How blessed are we?

And they talked with their wallets too.... I’m finalising the costs, but we
hope to make the $30,000 target. I’m sure it will be close! There are too many
people to thank for this very special night and I’m sure you’d rather see the
photos anyway. Our long-time friend and photographer Bridget Elliot attended
and took these photos.

08 July 2010

Tonight we have a meeting
with the Pinchgut Fundraising team- with lots to get through, including wine....choices. We hold these regular
meetings over dinner - and we do work hard!

Anyway, THE dinner on
Thursday 22 July will be a very special night indeed. At Pinchgut, we have
long thought about putting on a second production each year, but due to a
few constraints we haven’t been able to do this. Until now! It is expensive
putting on opera! However, for the first time we are able to present a second performance this year - an entire,
rare and beautiful (short) opera by Vivaldi, called La ninfa e il pastore at the Pinchgut Fundraiser Dinner.

The idea is for everyone to be intimate with the music and meet the performers
and the team behind Pinchgut. The event will be opened by Her Excellency Marie
Bashir, Governor of New South Wales, and held at WatersEdge at Pier One, with
performances by sopranos Anna Fraser, Jane Sheldon, tenor Andrei Laptev and
members of the Orchestra of the Antipodes, with Erin Helyard conducting from
the harpsichord.

Erin has worked on the score
and prepared a new performing edition for the occasion. The plot revolves
around two nymphs and a shepherd, and I had asked Anna Fraser, Genevieve Lang a
bit more about what you would expect to see and hear:-

Erin describes La ninfa e
il pastore:-

“this superb jewel of a piece
dates from around 1715, when the seasoned composer was in his early 30s and
freshly appointed to the position of maestro di' concerti (music director) of the Ospedale della Pietà in
Venice, a charitable institution founded to care for orphaned and abandoned
girls. The work is not an opera but rather a related dramatic genre – the
serenata. The name derives from the practice of performing these little operas
outdoors at night under artificial light – sereno means “clear night sky.” By the early eighteenth
century, serenatas were composed to texts that were generally pastoral, amatory
or eulogistic in tone and they were meant for private performance before a
select audience. This year that select audience is you! La ninfa e il
pastore has never before been
performed in Australia on period instruments and if you enjoyed our production
of Juditha Triumphans you will not
want to miss this work, which is in a very different style. La ninfa e il
pastore is more intimate in character
and more subtle in tone. It could be compared to a small watercolour meant for
the eyes of a few, rather than a large painting in oils destined for public
exhibition.”

So if your eyes would like to
be those of a few…we still have a few places left. Call me on 02 9389 8117 or anna@pinchgutopera.com.au.
Tickets are $220 per person (ticket price includes a tax deductible donation of
$100).By the way, the event will help
raise funds for Haydn’s L’anima del filosofo at the end of this year – so you can also feel pretty
chuffed about that too!

06 July 2010

“While in London I have been tracking down the singers
who will sing the principal roles in our production this year. How lovely to
meet a young father who is bursting with excitement about his 6 month old son.
Andrew's wife is Russian born and now they have a 6-month-old son who is very
beautiful - I know as I have seen the photos on Andrew's iPhone. We went to the
same coffee shop Derek Welton had introduced me to near Liverpool St Station,
as it is a convenient place to meet. Andrew spoke of the very interesting time
of change he has seen in Russia since he first went there. He is off again to
Russia today for rehearsals for Die Fledermaus with the Bolshoi. He went to Russia originally to study piano but was persuaded that he
had a voice worth concentrating on so that is how he became an opera singer
even though he originally did not know a lot about opera. Although his family
does not contain any other musicians, he now appreciates the many recordings of
opera that his father had collected over the years and listens to them whenever
he is in Australia.

He was interested to hear
about Elena Xanthoudakis and Derek as he does not know them. Andrew has sung in the City
Recital Hall Angel Place, Sydney and is wondering how we will make it work for
an opera. His family are all from Sydney so there will be many people, apart
from our usual audience, happy to see him there in December with his wife and
baby. It was good to be able to tell him about our loyal audience and our very
supportive orchestra and chorus and how we will try very hard to look after his
family when he is here in December.

His role in the Haydn for us
covers a huge register so we are glad to have Andrew in this role as critics
have commented on how he can go beautifully from register to register with
great technique. What a treat this is going to be for us all."

The book office opened to our
subscribers only last Thursday, and so with only 5 days of selling – we have
sold over 22% of the house. So as not miss this special treat - book early and
book often!

01 July 2010

The phones are running hot at
the City Recital Hall box office. I know this as my line is also running hot this
last hour with punters trying to get through and hoping I can book for them…. But
keep trying or book online!

The fabulous box-office folk
are ready for your call – here is Andrew from the box-office with our poster now
on displayed in the foyer.

The official box office opening
is Thursday 22 July, however we open a few weeks early for our loyal newsletters
subscribers to snap up the best seats and give them a discount
to opening night ($10 off the ticket). So if you’re reading this and wanting to get
in on the act – then subscribe HERE and book HERE.